The Earl of Godric's Hollow
by Candra Jade
Summary: It's the year 1811. Harry Potter has just defeated Voldemort and is immediately faced with the next big challenge in form of the will of his great grandfather, the late Earl of Godric's Hollow. He has to get married and father a son before his cousin - Draco Malfoy - does, in order to become the next Earl. Harry/Hermione and Draco/Ginny
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Harry POV**

Harry James Potter opened the door to his late godfather's townhouse, carefully avoiding any unnecessary sound in order to prevent waking the portrait of Mrs. Black. The last thing Harry needed after the day that lay behind him was an argument with the portrait of the unpleasant woman.

Today had been the day he had conquered Lord Voldemort. He had thought he would feel carefree and elated when this day would finally come. Instead all he felt was exhaustion. The happiness would probably come after a bath, a decent meal and at least 12 hours of sleep. They had been very lucky because they had won the final fight without casualties or life-threatening injuries on their side. Although luck probably didn't have much to do with it. It had been due to the brilliant mind and thorough planning of Miss Hermione Granger that they had been perfectly prepared for this day. Of course she had not been allowed to accompany him on his journey to find and destroy the Horcruxes. Nobody would expose a young lady to such dangers. She had found a way to repair the magical mirror his godfather Sirius Black had given him and he had been in contact with Hermione through this mirror during his journey. She had helped him gather the information he needed to find and destroy the Horcruxes and she had been his connection to the Order of the Phoenix. It was due to Hermione's work and planning that all Horcruxes had been destroyed when Voldemort attacked and that he and his Death Eaters had faced a large and thoroughly prepared army of fighters when they arrived at Hogwarts.

It had been Hermione who had distracted the crowd of people who had attended the spontaneous celebration that had followed the final fight long enough to allow Harry to leave Hogwarts and come here. Harry asked himself what he would do without his dearest friend, like he had done many times before during the last seven years.

The teachers and other students had considered it odd at the best and improper at the worst that he had formed such a strong friendship with a Lady, but to Harry it was the most natural thing in the world. Hermione had been one of the few people who liked him for himself and not for his name and she had been his only Muggle born friend. Ron Weasley, his other close friend, had lived in the Wizarding World all his life and had never developed an understanding for the fact that some matters concerning the Wizarding World seemed odd to Harry because of their lack of familiarity. Hermione, on the other hand, saw the Wizarding World with the eyes of an outsider, too, but had knowledge about this world that resembled that of a Pureblood due to her extensive studies. Hermione was like a translator to him, a mediator between the world he had grown up in and the world that was his present and his future.

On the other hand he was Hermione's only source of the kind of information that was considered unsuitable for young ladies. He had been the one who brought Hermione the kind of books she didn't get access to in the library, mainly books on defence against the dark arts and medicine. Hermione's father was a doctor and Hermione had spent a significant amount of time during the holidays secretly studying his medical textbooks. This forbidden knowledge had only intensified her desire to learn about magical ways to cure diseases which left Muggle doctors helpless.

Harry made his way to the kitchen and lit a few candles before preparing some sandwiches. He could have asked Kreacher, the house elf, but didn't deem this a wise idea, considering the elf despised him. Harry decided to look for another place to stay tomorrow. He hated this house in which his godfather had spent an unhappy childhood and youth. Maybe his parents had another house apart from the one that had been destroyed the night they had died. Harry did not know much about his parents' fortune. He had lived on a trust fund until his 17th birthday and had left to go on Horcrux hunt the day he became of age. Therefore he didn't have an opportunity to go to the wizarding bank and find out what his parents had left him.

Harry had just finished his dinner when he heard something tapping against the window. _Hedwig_, Harry thought, and opened the window to let his owl in.

Harry caressed the animal while he took the letter from her leg. He looked on the addresser and frowned. _Charles Montgomery, Attorney and Notary. _

Harry opened the letter and read.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_As the trusted attorney of your late great grandfather, Samuel Nicholas Potter, Earl of Godric's Hollow, I have been entrusted with the enforcement of his will. I have acted as his Asset Manager as well until the day you came of age. Unfortunately, I have been unable to contact you until today due to lacking knowledge of your whereabouts. _

_Now that you are back in town I must kindly request your presence in my office tomorrow, May, 3__rd__, 1811, at 9.00 AM to inform you of the Earls will._

_Sincerely,_

_Charles Montgomery_

Harry was stunned. His great grandfather had been an Earl? Why had nobody ever mentioned that to him? His parents were dead and so were his grandparents. Did that mean he was the only heir of an Earl? That _he_ was an Earl? No, that couldn't be the case. People would have called him by his title if he were an Earl. His great grandfather must have had other children and one of their sons or grandsons would inherit the title. _Good. _Harry thought. He had had enough responsibility for a livetime during the last years.

When Harry entered the attorney's office a few minutes before 9 he wasn't surprised that he wasn't the only visitor. He was however completely shocked, that none other than Draco Malfoy – his most detested fellow student at Hogwarts – was sitting in one of the two armchairs across the massive desk behind which Charles Montgomery was seated.

"What are _you _doing here?" Harry asked stunned.

"I should not be surprised that you know nothing about your ancestors, Potter." Malfoy replied in his usual arrogant way.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, please take a seat. I am sure I will be able to answer all of your questions," Mr. Montgomery said.

The young men exchanged one last angry glare before Harry reluctantly sat down in the armchair next to Malfoy.

"My name is Charles Montgomery," the man behind the desk introduced himself. " I have been your family's attorney for many years. Like I already told you by owl, we are here to discuss the will of your great grandfather now that both of you are of legal age."

"Wait a moment," Harry said. "_Our _great grandfather? Does this mean we are _related_?"

"Unfortunately yes," Malfoy answered instead of Montgomery. "One of the few blemishes in the otherwise glorious history of my family."

Montgomery directed his attention to Harry, ignoring Malfoy's comment. "Considering that you don't seem familiar with your family history, I will give you a short overview. Your great grandfather Samuel Nicholas Potter, Earl of Godric's Hollow, and his wife Elizabeth, had two children – Damian and Catherine. Damian married your grandmother, Samantha Bennett and fathered your father James Potter with her. Catherine married Marcus Malfoy and they had a son, too – Lucius Malfoy, Mr. Draco Malfoy's father."

Harry was too shocked by this revelation to say anything and just nodded.

Montgomery continued. "Both your grandparents have passed away many years ago and so have your parents, Mr. Potter. Mr. Malfoy, your parents are serving a life sentence in Azkaban. That makes you two the only heirs of a very noble family. Both of you already own a great fortune. Mr. Malfoy, like you already know, you have inherited Malfoy Manor and a well filled vault in Gringotts. Mr. Potter, your inheritance consists of the Potter Estate and an equally full vault in Gringotts."

"Wait a minute," Harry interrupted Montgomery. "Potter Estate? My parents' house was destroyed the night they died."

"The small house your parents rented while they were hiding from You-Know-Who was destroyed. The Potter Estate is still intact and well kept by some loyal house-elves."

_House elves? _What would Hermione say when she found out that he owned a house that was maintained by house elves?

"Can we _finally _get to the real reason why we are here? Tell us who of us becomes the next Earl and inherits the castle! Surely it cannot be this son of a Mudblood!" Malfoy said.

"Don't you dare to insult my mother!"

"Gentlemen, please! I have a letter which your great grandfather wrote a few months before he died, a few months after your parents died, Mr. Potter. Let Earl Potter answer all your questions himself."

_Dear Harry, Dear Draco,_

_When you are hearing my last words you will be sitting in the office of my trusty attorney Mr. Montgomery. You are of age now and are waiting to hear my will. _

_Since you, Harry, are the youngest of my great grandsons it is most likely your seventeenth birthday. Congratulations, Harry. That you are sitting here today means that you have survived until now. I hope and pray it means that you have fulfilled your destiny and conquered the Dark Lord. In this case, I thank you in the name of the whole Wizarding World and congratulate you to an incredible achievement. Your parents would be proud of you. If you haven't won the fight yet then I wish you all the luck and strength in the world and – even more important – loyal friends along the way._

_Draco, you, too have been born with a heavy burden. A different kind of burden then your cousin, but a heavy burden nonetheless. Your father has never been convicted for the crimes he committed, but I know the truth and I am deeply ashamed to have a Death Eater in the noble Potter family. Therefore, I excluded your father from my testament. I hope I am not making the worst mistake ever by including you. I hope and pray that you are not like your father, Draco. If you have managed to avoid the dark path then I congratulate you to your strength of character. It is not easy to rise above your education._

_I know that both of you didn't have easy lives until now. I wished I could have raised both of you myself, but I am old and ill and my life is coming to an end._

_I am sure you are eagerly waiting to hear my decision who of you will become the next Earl. Draco, Harry, I wished I would have seen you grow up. In this case I would have been able to decide who of you would be the better, wiser Earl. I have not have this opportunity and therefore I am forced to base my decision on a very old criteria. The most important thing for a noble family are offsprings who make sure that the family will live on. That is what I base my decision on. _

_The one of you who first becomes the father of a legal male heir will inherit the Earl title and all the properties connected to this title._

_I hope that whoever becomes the next Earl will proof to be worthy of this great responsibility. I wish both of you all the luck in the world and hope that you will find happiness and love._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Great Grandfather_

_Sir Samuel Nicholas Potter, Earl of Godrics Hollow_

"Wait a minute! Have I heard this right: Our Great Grandfather forces us into a conquest to be the first to marry a woman and get her with child?" Harry asked.

"Do you have any problems in that department, Potter?" Malfoy asked with a grin.

"Considering that Mr. Potter already summed the situation up so eloquently I assume you do not have any questions?"

Both men shook their heads. Harry ignored Malfoy's sly grin and quickly apparated out back to Grimmaulds Place. Then he did the only thing he could think of. He owled Hermione.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Harry POV**

"Malfoy can have his title and his money. I do not care about these things anyway," Harry said. He and Hermione were sitting on a table in the Three Broomsticks, discussing the news.

"It is not just about a title and money, Harry. As an Earl you have tenants and a vote in the Wizarding Council. Think about all the good you could do if you became the Earl of Godric's Hollow and think about how Malfoy would abuse his powers."

"I am supposed to quickly marry some Lady I barely know and father an heir with her! I cannot do this, Hermione. Neither to her nor to me. I always believed in marrying out of love like my parents did," Harry argued.

"You do not have to marry a random woman, Harry." After a short pause Hermione said: "She still loves you."

Harry sighed. "I courted Ginny and then abruptly stopped all my advances to prepare for the fight with Voldemort. I severely hurt her reputation with my behavior. What will she say when I propose to her now?"

"She will say yes. She will always say yes to you, Harry. Today is the ball in Mrs. Longbottom's house. She will be there. Just ask her. Today. Do not lose any more time, Harry," Hermione advised. "No one deserves happiness more than you do and if Ginny Weasley is what makes you happy then go and propose to her." Hermione said sincerely. Harry thought that he had noticed a hint of sadness in his friend's voice. Maybe she was not so sure concerning Ginny's reaction after all.

Harry took Hermione's advice anyways. In the evening he and Hermione were standing in Mrs. Longbottom's ballroom. They had already exchanged greetings with Neville and his grandmother and were currently looking for Ginny.

Finally, Harry spotted her at the far end of the large room, talking to Miss Luna Lovegood.

"What shall I tell her?" Harry asked, nervously seeking help with his friend.

"Tell her the truth, Harry. Tell her that you love her and that you just wanted to protect her from getting involved in the war. She will understand," Hermione reassured him.

"She was very upset when I left."

"She was worried about you, Harry. We all were," Hermione answered very seriously.

Harry looked over at Ginny again and braced himself. "Wish me luck."

"Harry Potter, the man who conquered Voldemort, is afraid of proposing to a Lady." Harry gave Hermione an annoyed look and she added seriously: "Good luck, Harry."

Harry was just going to go over and talk to Ginny, when he spotted her talking to the person he least expected her to have a conversation with.

**Draco POV**

Draco Malfoy needed a wife and he needed her soon. He was not happy at the prospect of getting married at 18, but he had always known that he would have to find a suitable wife sooner or later. Draco was far from being a romantic. His parents' and grandparents' marriages had been arranged. It was how things usually worked in the finer society. He got the opportunity to choose a wife and that was more than he had expected. Of course he would not make an unreasonable choice out of affection. He knew exactly what he was looking for. He needed a wife from a respected pureblood family. She had to be healthy to increase his chances of getting her with child soon. A pretty face and a nice body could not hurt either.

Draco scanned the room looking for potential candidates. Pansy Parkinson who was sending him flirty glances. No, too clingy. He did not need a wife who would interfere with his life too much. Daphne Greengrass. Not beautiful enough. The Patil twins. No, he would never get one without the other. The last thing he needed was a sister in law who intruded into his house and life every day. Luna Lovegood. Too crazy. Lavender Brown. No, she liked men way too much. With her he could not be sure if his heir was really his.

Then his eyes landed on a woman he had never even considered as a potential candidate before. Now he wondered why. Sure, she despised him, but that was the case for most of the candidates he had considered. That did not matter. No woman would be crazy enough to turn down one of the wealthiest men in the Wizarding World simply because she did not like him. Especially if the woman's family was as poor as Ginny Weasley's. Her lack of money did not bother Draco. He had more than enough money and if he became the next Earl he would have even more. Her family was as pure as his and the Weasleys were a respectable family. If Ginny was as fertile as her mother he would have an heir in no time. She was pretty, too. And the best thing was her connection to Potter. It was no secret that Potter was after Ginny Weasley like a lovesick puppy. If his great love married another man Potter would be busy licking his wounds for a while. Potter was too idealistic to immediately search for a replacement. He would probably still be moping when his and Ginny's child would be born. Perfect.

"Good evening, Miss Weasley," Draco greeted Ginny.

The young woman turned around, surprised to be spoken to by Draco Malfoy of all people.

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly.

Draco decided to be equally straightforward. He did not know Ginny Weasley well, but he knew that she was not stupid enough to believe him if he lied. He saw no need in sugar-coating his proposal.

"I want to marry you."

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked bewildered.

"I think you heard me right. I need a wife to become the next Earl of Godric's Hollow and I choose you," Draco explained matter of factly.

"Is this some kind of joke or are you simply insane?"

"Neither. You are young, from a more or less respectable pureblood family, you are pretty, you are not stupid and considering your amount of brothers you are probably very fertile. You see, I am absolutely serious. Usually a young lady is polite enough to at least answer a proposal from a respectable gentleman. I thought your parents had taught you some manners," Malfoy said mockingly.

"You of all people dare to criticise my manners?" Ginny asked furiously. "I am surprised that you even know the meaning of the word. You are neither respectable nor a gentleman. You are just the spoilt, arrogant brat of two Azkaban inmates. Of course my answer to your 'proposal' is no! Have you seriously expected a different answer?"

Draco was now as angry as the young woman and all humour vanished from his face and tone. Ginny Weasley had hit a weak spot when she had mentioned his parents. How did she dare to insult him and his family this way?

"Do not speak about my parents! That is none of your business. And yes, I did expect a different answer considering your family's financial situation. Do I have to remind you that the land your poor excuse of a house stands on belongs to the property of the Earl of Godric's Hollow? When I am the Earl I can force your family to leave your house whenever I want, but if you marry me your parents will be allowed to stay in the house as long as they wish."

Draco knew that he was basically coercing Ginny to accept his proposal, but after she had hurt him by reminding him of his parents' whereabouts he did not care. She had insulted his family and now he was threatening hers.

Ginny went pale. "You would not do that!" She exclaimed, but sounded anything then convinced.

"Would I not? During our school days you thought I was capable of every bad deed and it did not sound like you suddenly see me in a better light. Let us try again: Will you marry me?"

Ginny hesitated. Her gaze wandered through the room and eventually stopped on Potter, who was looking into their direction. Potter looked worried and Ginny looked torn.

"You hesitate because you are still expecting a proposal from Potter?" The mocking tone was back. "Tell me, if your hero was as interested in you then the other way around, would he not have had the decency to marry you before he left you to save the world. Even _I _would have done that if I had been in his place."

"Do not dare to judge Harry! You are not worthy of polishing his shoes! And why are you so sure that you will become the next Earl anyway? If I recall correctly, Harry has as much claim to the title as you have."

Draco considered to lie for a moment, but decided against it. Ginny was probably smart enough to see through his lie. "For someone who does not care about pureness of blood you are very well acquainted with ancestry. Saint Potter and I paid a visit to our great-grandfather's lawyer today. To make a long story short: The one of us who is the first to produce a legal heir will be the next Earl."

Ginny was furious. "You plan to use me to snatch the title away from Harry?"

"What is more important to you: That your beloved Potter gets a fancy title and more money he does not need or that your family has a roof over their heads? In the unlikely case that Potter will beat me in this little competition you surely have nothing to worry about. He would never throw your family out on the streets. You see, by marrying me you are on the save side, come what may."

"You are a conceited bastard!"

"Is that a yes?" Draco asked, knowing that he had won.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really. Now that this is settled, let us go and talk to your father."

**Harry POV**

Harry felt his anger rise when he saw Draco Malfoy walking next to Ginny, his hand possessively on the small of her back.

"Take your dirty hands of her!" Harry hissed and reached for his wand.

Malfoy grinned. "No need to start a fight, Potter. I have every right to have my hands on Miss Weasley. Ask her yourself, if you do not believe me."

Harry turned to Ginny, looking confused and worried. "Ginny? What is going on here?"

"I am so sorry, Harry," Ginny whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Harry wanted to repeat his question, but Malfoy was already leading Ginny to her parents, who had watched the little scene with concern. Harry, Hermione and most of the other guests watched curiously how Ginny, her parents and Draco had a short talk. A moment later, Malfoy touched his throat with his wand and his magically increased voice captured everybody's attention.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to announce my engagement to Miss Ginevra Weasley."

Harry grabbed his wand tighter and took a step towards the newly engaged couple, when he felt Hermione grab his arm.

"Let me go!" he demanded angrily, but Hermione shook her head.

"No, Harry. You cannot start a fight in the middle of a full ballroom. You will not only ruin your reputation, but Ginny's as well. "

"She does not want this, Hermione," Harry said desperately.

"I know. Harry, I am so sorry."

Harry looked his friend in the eyes, which were full of sympathy and sadness. He had always found comfort in Hermione's friendship, but right now not even she was able to comfort him. Without another word, Harry disapparated back to his temporary home.

Harry took one of the ugly vases in the living room and threw it against the wall where it shattered into dozens of pieces. The portrait of Mrs. Black in the hallway started to shout: "Vandals, Blood Traitors, Mudblood friends, such scum in the noble house of Black."

"Shut up!" Harry screamed, but did not care when the painting continued with the insults. He was seeing red and the background ramblings just fit his mood.

He continued throwing random things around the room, hit the cabinet with the probably very expensive porcelain with a candleholder and destroyed the chandelier with a curse. Harry raised his wand again and aimed for the liquor cabinet, but hesitated. Harry rarely drank alcohol and he could count the occasions on which he had drunken something stronger than butterbeer on the fingers of one hand, but today everything was different. Harry lowered his wand, took a bottle of firewhiskey and a glass from the cabinet and sat down on the couch in the middle of the destroyed room.

That was where Hermione found Harry an hour later.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione said when she entered the living room. Harry looked up from the half empty bottle in front of him and faced his friend. She looked concerned and he could see tears in the corners of her eyes. A moment later Hermione was by Harry's side and sat silently next to him until Harry broke the silence.

"What are you doing here? You should not visit me alone at this hour, people will start talking about you," Harry said, his voice quite slurred from the alcohol.

Hermione smiled a little at Harry's concern. "I am not alone. Luna is waiting in the hallway. At least she was there a minute ago. Now she has probably gone to search for Nargels in the whole house."

There was a short pause before Harry spoke again, this time full of anger.

"That bastard chose Ginny, because he knew that I love her! He wants to take her off the market, because he knew I would not search for _a replacement_! He does not even see her as a human being, Hermione!" Harry yelled.

"I know, Harry. Even after all these years we know Malfoy I did not think that he was capable of sinking that low." Hermione's voice was full of despise.

"The irony is that it is actually working. He has his _wife _and he will soon have his heir, even if he has to rape Ginny! He will get his will and there is nothing I can do to stop him." Harry had tears of rage and sorrow in his eyes, but he did not bother to wipe them away. He did not need to conceal his emotions in front of Hermione and he knew it.

"Oh, Harry, I wished I could say something else, but I am afraid there is really nothing you can do about this marriage. Of course Ginny could break the engagement, but I do not think she will. I researched the exact location of the property that belonged to the late Earl. The burrow is inside the range of the county. I am sure Malfoy threatened to take the Weasleys' house from them when he becomes the Earl, if Ginny does not marry him."

"He cannot do this!" Harry exclaimed shocked.

"Unfortunately, he can. The Earl can do however he pleases with his property."

"There must be something we can do about this!"

"There is only one thing you can do to prevent Malfoy from abusing his power. You cannot let him hire the title," Hermione said matter of factly.

Harry looked confused, but when his whiskey clouded mind had understood what his friend was saying, his facial expression changed to one of disbelief and anger.

"You cannot seriously suggest that I coerce a woman I barely know into marrying me like Malfoy did!"

"It does not have to be a lady you barely know. Think of all the girls we went to Hogwarts with. You know some of them quite well. Is there no one whom you like enough that you could imagine sharing your home and life with? There must be someone you trust to take the responsibility of being a countess seriously and for whom you feel at least affection. And you would not have to coerce a lady into marrying you, Harry. The woman you will marry will be very lucky and I am not talking about your money, your fame or the title you might inherit. No, Harry, she will be lucky because you will care for her opinion and treat her with respect. Unfortunately this is very rare. Many men just want a woman who is nice to look at and does what she is told. Nobody deserves to be happy more than you do, Harry. After all you have been through you should be able to marry the woman you love. It is not fair that you are once again in a position in which it takes a personal sacrifice from you to ensure that other people can live a better life, but you are the only one who can stop Malfoy from becoming the next Earl and abusing his powers. Think about how many people he will cause grief by taking their homes from them or punishing them for little mistakes."

"What if I am tired of playing the hero and putting everyone else before myself?" Harry exclaimed. "No one can force me to marry a woman I do not love!"

Harry looked down, because he did not want to see the disappointment in Hermione's eyes, but even without the eye contact he could hear it in her voice.

"Of course not, Harry. Please just think about it tomorrow, when you are... calmer," Hermione asked. "You should go to bed and get some sleep," she said and reached for the bottle of firewhiskey that was still standing in front of her friend, but Harry grabbed the bottle before her.

"It is none of your business when I go to sleep or how much I drink!" Harry said angrily and turned away from Hermione.

"No, I guess it is not." This time Hermione's voice did not only sound disappointed, but very sad and trembling, like she was close to tears. "Good night, Harry," she whispered and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When Harry woke up the next morning he opened his eyes just to shut them again a moment later. The sunlight was hurting his eyes too much. His head hurt like it had not for a long time and his first thought was that it had something to do with Voldemort. No, that could not be right, Voldemort was dead, he had killed him. But why was his head hurting like hell and he felt so sick that he did not dare to move? Thinking was difficult and painful and a part of Harry just wanted to go back to sleep, but he tried to concentrate and think about what had happened yesterday. There had been a ball. He had seen Ginny talking to Malfoy. Malfoy had proposed to Ginny. Harry felt even sicker when the memory hit him. A nice girl like Ginny married to that git! Harry remembered apparating home. He had destroyed the living room. Then there had been firewhiskey. A lot of firewhiskey. That must have been the reason he felt that awful. He had the first hangover in his life. Harry whished he knew the ingredients of the anti hangover potion. He knew there was one, because the twins had mentioned it, but Harry had never seen a reason to learn how to make it. Of course Hermione would know, although she never had to use this potion either. Hermione. She had been here yesterday. He had yelled at her. His stomach clenched when he remembered what he had said to Hermione. Oh god! How could he have talked like that to his most loyal friend? She just wanted to help him, like she always had and he had been a complete jerk to her. Harry remembered Hermione's teary eyes and the disappointment in her voice when she had said goodbye. He had made her cry. He had disappointed her by acting like a selfish git. What if Hermione thought she had had the wrong impression of him all along? What if she though he was not the friend she thought she knew? After the way he had acted Harry could not blame Hermione if she decided to end her friendship with him. The mere thought of losing Hermione terrified Harry more than anything he had ever experienced in his eventful young life. He had lost loved ones before – his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore – and now he had lost Ginny to Malfoy. He had grieved deeply for all these people, but never before had he thought he could not go on living after this loss. With Hermione it was different. She had been by his side since he was eleven and she had helped him through the worst times in his live. Hermione had kept him sane and had given him the strength to do what he had to do. Without her, he was lost. Harry knew what he had to do. He could not lose Hermione. He had to find a way to earn her forgiveness.

Two hours later Harry was in Diagon Alley, searching the shops for a gift for Hermione. He already held a big bouquet of pink and white roses in his hand, but he was searching for something special, something meaningful. He had really hurt her and he knew flowers and an "I am sorry" would not be enough to make it up to her. Usually Harry bought Hermione books for Christmas and her birthdays, but this time he wanted a more personal gift, something that expressed how much she meant to him.

Eventually the display window of a small jewellery store caught his eye. He had never noticed the shop before and he probably would not have considered going inside if he had not seen the sign in the window. _"Memory jewels – wear your most special memories". _ Next to the sign were golden bracelets and necklaces with shimmering precious stones in various colours. Harry did not know much about jewellery, but the stones seemed to shimmer more than Muggle ones, almost like they were softly glowing. Harry did not know if Hermione cared about jewels, he had seldom seen her wear some and normally Harry would not consider buying her a necklace or a bracelet, because he knew that it would not do Hermione justice to just buy something expensive to make her forgive him, but this seemed different – more personal. Harry entered the shop and a young pretty sales lady smiled at him and asked how she could help him.

"I am looking for a gift for a very special young lady and your memory jewellery sounds interesting. How does it work?" Harry asked.

"It works a little like a pensieve. You put your wand to your head and think about a memory you want to put into a piece of jewellery. Then you hold your wand in a bowel with our special magic jewel liquid and your memory turns into a precious stone. Nobody knows which kind of stone it becomes, therefore we cannot tell you how much the piece of jewellery will cost – the more valuable the stone is the more of the liquid will be used for it," the young woman explained.

"Price does not matter. I need something really special. Is it possible to make a bracelet with several stones? There are many memories I want to include." Harry had shared so many special moments with Hermione that he would have trouble deciding for some of them.

"Of course, " the lady answered with a smile. "Your fiancée is a very lucky woman."

"My fiancée?" Harry asked confused.

"Is the gift not for your fiancée? You look a little... tired out. I thought you had your bachelor celebration last night and were buying your fiancée a gift. Forgive me if I am mistaken." The woman explained.

Harry did not answer immediately. Hermione his fiancée? He had never thought about her in that way. Suddenly Harry remembered Hermione's words from the night before. _Is there no one whom you like enough that you could imagine sharing your home and life with? There must be someone you trust to take the responsibility of being a countess seriously and for whom you feel at least affection._ Harry felt more than affection for Hermione. He trusted her completely and he knew no one who was more responsible, intelligent and compassionate than her. She would be a great countess. Harry had always enjoyed Hermione's company and he had always trusted her enough to share his thoughts and feelings with her...

"Sir?" the sales lady asked confused and interrupted Harry's thoughts.

"Oh, ahm, no, Hermione is... she is a friend." No, that sounded too common, too meaningless. "The most loyal friend a person can wish for," he added.

The young woman smiled in a way that looked like she knew something he did not know, but she just said "Then let us create a special bracelet for your very special friend."

The woman placed a bowl with a shimmering golden liquid in front of Harry.

Harry thought a moment about the first memory he wanted to include into the bracelet. There were so many special memories he had shared with Hermione. Eventually, he started with a memory of their first big adventure when they had saved the Sorcerer's stone from being stolen by Voldemort. Just before Harry had faced Voldemort for the first time, Hermione had hugged him and asked him to be careful. It was the first time in his young life that anybody had been this affectionate with him and for the first time since he could remember he had felt... loved. Harry put his wand to his head and put his memory in the bowl. The liquid inside shimmered bright red and a moment later a red gem stone appeared in the bowl.

"A garnet. It symbolizes loyalty and reliability," the saleswoman explained.

Harry smiled. "Your magic liquid surely knows what it is doing."

Harry thought for a moment and then put a second memory in the bowl – the memory of Hermione helping him save Sirius in their third year. It turned into a pale blue stone – an aquamarine which symbolized courage according to the saleswoman. The next memory was from their fourth year, when Hermione spend hours helping him prepare for the Threewizard Tournament. It turned into a tiger's eye, which stands for patient work to achieve a goal and strength in difficult situations. He included his memory of the fight in the ministry when Hermione once again risked her life with him and of that awful moment when Hermione got hit by Dolohov's curse and he had feared she was dead for a moment. It turned into a ruby – a stone symbolizing courage, friendship and love. He thought about all the times when Hermione had helped him with her sharp mind, especially during the time when he searched for the Horcruxes. The memory turned into a sapphire, symbolizing wisdom. In the end Harry thought about the moment when he had just defeated Voldemort. He had been exhausted, heartbroken because of all the lives this war had cost and had had no idea what life would hold for him now. In this moment he had seen Hermione, who had simply run over to him and hugged him – forgetting all about propriety. In this moment, Harry had known that he had a future and that this future would include Hermione – forever. When he put this memory in the bowl, it turned into a perfect diamond.

Half an hour later, Harry stood in front of Hermione's house. He took a deep breath to try and calm his upset stomach. He didn't know if it was due to apparating with a hangover or if it was just nerves because he did not know how Hermione would take his apology, but he felt awful.

The maid answered the door and asked him to wait for Hermione in the parlour. He did not have to wait long. A minute later Hermione appeared in the room, leaving the door open.

"Good morning Harry, to which do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Hermione asked stiffly. Harry sadly registered Hermione's formal tone, but felt even worse when he turned to look at his best friend. Hermione looked nearly as awful as he felt. Her eyes were red and she had dark circles under her eyes – she had obviously spent the majority of the night crying.

"I came to apologize for my behaviour last night. I am truly sorry," Harry said and held out the roses to Hermione.

"It takes more than an 'I am sorry' and flowers to make up for your behaviour towards me last night," Hermione answered angrily, not taken the flowers.

"I know," Harry answer remorsefully. "I should not have talked to you like that. You are my most loyal friend and telling you it is none of your business how I behave was more than wrong. Of course it is your business. You have always been by my side when I needed you and risked your life for me again and again and now you criticize me and I yell at you. Please forgive me. I value your opinion more than anyone else's and I need you by my side. I think I have never truly told you how much you mean to me and even now I am not able to find the right words. Therefore, I got you this," Harry said and gave Hermione the box containing the bracelet. "It is not just a piece of jewellery," Harry hurried to say. "The gem stones are memory charms, each contains a special memory I have about you. You can see the memories by touching the charms with your wand. It is my way of telling you how much you mean to me. Without you, I am completely lost. Please tell me that I have not lost my closest friend."

Speechless, Hermione used her wand to watch all the memories Harry had put into her bracelet. When she finally looked up, she had tears in your eyes.

"Of course you have not lost me, Harry. I will always be your friend, no matter what."

Harry sighed relieved and fought the urge to hug Hermione, in case somebody walked by and saw them through the open door.

"Thank you, Hermione."

"So, have you thought about what you want to do now?" Hermione asked and Harry nodded.

"Yes, I have. Can we go to the garden to talk?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Hermione POV**

Hermione walked silently next to Harry until they had reached a part of the garden where they were far enough away from the house that nobody could overhear their conversation. Hermione wandered if Harry had changed his mind about finding someone to marry and she was not sure how she would feel if he had. She had meant what she had said the other day. It was the right thing to do everything he could to stop Malfoy from becoming Earl and abusing his position, but it hurt Hermione that Harry would have to sacrifice his own happiness for that to happen. Harry deserved happiness more than anybody in the world. That had been the reason why she had encouraged her friend to court Ginny, although she found the thought of Harry being married to Ginny oddly saddening. She had told herself that she only felt that way because she would not be able to spend as much time with Harry as she did now when he was married and he would most likely never have the opportunity to talk to her friend in private like that once he was a married man. It was not like she did not like spending time in Ginny's company. She considered her a dear friend as well, but all the times she had talked openly with Harry meant so much to her, because Harry understood her like nobody else did. The possible loss of this closeness if Harry married was the obvious reason for her sadness, but during the last days Hermione could not help but think that there was more to it than that. Hermione still shuddered when she thought about the awful minutes when she had assumed Harry was dead during the final fight. What she had felt had been beyond grief. It had felt as if her own life had ended as well, because her mind simply was not capable of thinking about her life in which Harry did not exist. Could you feel this strongly for a friend?

Hermione was pulled from her thoughts when Harry started talking.

"I have thought about your words from yesterday. You are right, Hermione. It would be selfish and irresponsible to simply give up and let Malfoy have the title. I will have to take a wife soon, but thinking about being married to someone for whom I only feel weak affection is unbearable to me."

Hermione looked at Harry with sad eyes and nodded. Maybe she shouldn't have suggested that in the first place. Harry deserved to be happy.

"I do not want my children to grow up in a home where their parents merely tolerate each other. You know I have never had a real family and as long as I can remember I've longed for a home in which my family cares for me and I care for them. I have always wanted a wife who will be a true companion to me, someone I love and respect and trust. Hermione, if I cannot have Ginny, there is only one other woman in this world I can imagine sharing my life with."

Hermione took a deep breath. Of course she knew whom Harry meant. There was no woman he was closer to than her and Hermione wondered why she had not seen this obvious solution herself. Hermione watched in a dace when Harry fell on his knees in front of her and opened a small box, revealing a beautiful diamond ring.

"Hermione, you have always been my most loyal and trusted friend. You have been there for me during the worst times of my live and I cannot imagine ever being without your company. I love you, Hermione, although it may not be the kind of love you expected from your future husband. I trust you completely and I cherish you more than I can put in words. This is my mother's ring and I would be honoured to see it on your hand. Hermione Jean Granger, will you do me the honour of accepting me as your husband?"

Hermione's mind raced, processing Harry's words and still wondering why she had not seen before how obvious this was. Harry and she loved each other dearly as friends and this love went deeper than most couples' who were in love. They trusted and respected each other and they knew each other so well. Harry would never expect her to be meek and act like society expected from a woman. He valued her opinion. So why did she hesitate? Her mind was all set up, but her feelings were not able to keep pace with it. She was still confused and unsure about the nature of her feelings for her best friend. How would being married to him affect this confusing mix of emotions? How would it feel like to be kissed by Harry? To share his bed? Hermione blushed at the last though. She knew more than was proper about these things from her father's medical textbooks, but the thought of engaging in this sort of relations and doing so with Harry was more than she could handle.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, confusion and worry obvious in his face.

Hermione suddenly realized that Harry was still kneeling in front of her, waiting for an answer. How long had she stood there, lost in thoughts?

Hermione met Harry's gaze and in this moment she knew what her answer would be. She had always been by Harry's side when he needed her and she would not let him down this time either. She was confused and a little frightened, but that would not stop her from engaging in this new adventure together with Harry.

"Yes, Harry, I will be honoured to call myself your wife."

**Ginny POV**

"Are you insane? How could you agree to marry that piece of scum, Ginny?" Ron asked his sister furiously.

Ginny fought back the tears and met her brother's angry gaze. "He did not leave me much choice. You know that our home is on the property that belonged to the late Earl? Malfoy threatened to take our house away if he becomes the Earl. Apparently, Malfoy and Harry have the same claim for the title and the one who will have a male heir first will become the next Earl."

"What? That bastard! Ginny, you cannot help him get the title!" Fred shouted.

"Yes, Harry must become the Earl," George agreed with his brother.

"Do you think I do not want that, too? But what if he does not? You know as well as I do that Malfoy would have found another girl to marry soon. His chances of inheriting the title are good. What would have become of us if I had not agreed to marry him? We would have lost our home! Mom and Dad lived here before we all were born," Ginny argued.

"Ginny, I would have never asked you to make this sacrifice for us. We would have found another house we could afford," Arthur Weasley told his daughter.

"Maybe, but not with so much land to it and with a fair lease. The late Earl has always been good to us and his trustee has kept the terms of the Earl. The times have gotten harder in the past 16 years. Look how the people in other counties live! They live in tiny houses and have to give nearly everything they harvest to the Earl. I know we have not much, but we were never hungry. I do not want that to change. I cannot let my family starve or depend on handouts from Harry. We have always been to proud for that and I do not want us to sink so low!" Ginny shouted.

Her brothers still looked angry, but they didn't say anything else and the sad look in her parents' eyes told the youngest Weasley that she had a point.

"What makes you think that Malfoy will keep his word?" Molly asked suspiciously.

"I am not stupid, Mom. We are yet and I will make sure that I get a written declaration that we can stay here on the same terms before I marry him. I know Malfoy will never agree to write a declaration like that for all his tenants, but I will try to make him do this for our friends, too."

"He will never agree to that," Arthur argued.

"We will see that. He is not the only one who can be very convincing," Ginny argued fiercely.

The next morning Ginny and Molly Weasley arrived at Malfoy Manor. They knocked and where greeted by a house elf.

"My name is Ginevra Weasley and this is my mother Molly. I am Mr. Malfoy's fiancée." Ginny shuddered at the word. "Is he home?"

"Unfortunately not, Miss. Would you like to wait?"

"Yes, please. Do you know when he is expected back?" Ginny asked.

"No, Miss, I am sorry. The master does not talk about his personal matters with Minnie, miss."

_Of course not, _Ginny thought. Malfoy and making conversation with an elf was unthinkable. He probably treated his elves like things. Ginny promised herself to make sure that this would change when she lived here.

Mother and daughter were led into an expensively furnished salon and Minnie brought them a cup of tea. They had to wait for nearly an hour until Draco Malfoy finally arrived. He looked tired and sad and he walked like he could barely keep himself up anymore, but Ginny could not see any signs of injury or illness. Strange.

"Ginny, Mrs. Malfoy, what can I do for you?" he asked, obviously trying to get whatever brought them here over with as soon as possible.

"I wish to speak to you about my terms for agreeing to this marriage," Ginny announced.

"Terms?" Draco asked and Ginny was not sure if he sounded annoyed or amused. Maybe a little bit of both. "You already agreed to marry me and it would do your reputation no good to change your mind. What terms could you possibly be speaking of?"

"My reputation? Please. You know that I am not what is considered a desirable match considering my family's financial situation. A broken engagement cannot make my situation much worse and considering the reputation of your family people would probably understand. Which lady wants to marry a man whose parents are in Azkaban?"

"Do not speak about my parents!" Draco demanded angrily. "Just tell me what you want."

"I want you to give me a written declaration that my family can stay in our house as long as my parents live, without an increase of tenancy if you become the Earl. The same goes for the Lovegoods and the Diggorys. And I want you to sign that you will not increase the other tenants' tenancy more than 10 percent and that you will give them half a year to find a new place to live if you decide to terminate their lease," Ginny demanded.

"That is ridiculous. The tenancy has not been raised for sixteen years. It is about time to adjust it to the actual standard," Draco argued.

"The actual standard is letting people starve! For you it is easy to talk about this like that. You in your pompous house, you who has never whished for anything! I refuse to live of the money other people have scrimped and saved! You will grand your tenants fair terms or you can forget this marriage. If I marry Harry Potter and you have to keep searching for a woman who will marry you after the scandal with your parents, there is a good chance of you losing the title."

Draco looked at Ginny with fury, but there was something else in his expression. Was it respect? "Your family can stay on the property to your terms, the Diggorys and Lovegoods do not get an increase of more than 10 percent and the other tenants not more than 20."

"Alright," Ginny agreed. "Do not forget the written declaration."

Malfoy sighed. "Wait here, I will be back in a few minutes."

True to his word, Malfoy came back with the Declaration ten minutes later.

"Is this is all I will escort you out," Malfoy offered, obviously trying to get rid of his fiancée and future mother in law.

"Thank you," Ginny answered and Malfoy brought them to the door. They said their goodbyes and Draco went back inside the house, while Ginny made no effort to leave.

"That went much better than I had hoped for," Molly Weasley said, "but I still hate the idea of you marrying this man."

"Me, too. Did you notice that he wanted to get rid of us as fast as possible? I think he is hiding something. The house is probably still full of dark objects. I will find an excuse to visit Malfoy again unannounced tomorrow, maybe I can find something before he can get rid of it. Then he can spend the next years in Azkaban and I am free."


End file.
